2018 Camp preview: Linebacker
With SEC Media Days in the books, it’s finally time to start looking ahead to the 2018 football season. Missouri will begin its preseason camp on Aug. 3. Each day until then, PowerMizzou will evaluate the roster one position group at a time, breaking down the depth chart and the outlook for the season. Today, we focus on the linebackers.
The starters: Like on the offensive line, Missouri has all three of its starting linebackers from a season ago back for 2018. Seniors Terez Hall and Brandon Lee should continue to start on the outside, and junior Cale Garrett, the team’s leading tackler last year, will man the middle. While those three returners have shown no indication that they won’t keep their starting jobs, the one player to watch who could be able to push for consistent playing time is sophomore Aubrey Miller Jr., who drew rave reviews from coaches and players during the spring.
The backups: While having all three starters back from last year is a luxury for Missouri, the coaching staff has expressed a bit of concern about the depth behind those starters. Ronnell Perkins is the only player behind the three starters with much meaningful game experience, but it has come at strong safety rather than linebacker. Perkins was listed alongside Miller and sophomore Jamal Brooks, who has apparently healed quickly from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s regular season finale against Arkansas, on the No. 2 line of Missouri’s first depth chart of the preseason. Senior Tavon Ross, who has seen mostly special teams action thus far in his college career, could also factor into the rotation. That lack of experience should create opportunities for several true freshmen to seize early playing time this fall. The Tigers signed four linebackers in the 2019 class: Gerald Nathan Jr., Nick Bolton, Chad Bailey and Cameron Wilkins.
Camp outlook: On the surface, having three upperclassmen returning as starters makes Missouri’s linebacker unit look like one of the strongest in the SEC. But the team will need to develop some inexperienced players quickly during camp to be able to spell those starters or fill in if someone gets hurt. Miller appears to be knocking on the door of a starting role, but aside from him, the group contains several unknown quantities. We expect at least one or two of the true freshmen to work their way into a meaningful role and forego a redshirt season. While Nathan may have given himself a head start on the competition by graduating high school early and participating in spring practices, we’d guess Wilkins and Bailey are more likely to contribute right away.
Projected Week One depth chart:
1. Terez Hall/ Cale Garrett/ Brandon Lee
2. Aubrey Miller Jr./ Cameron Wilkins/ Ronnell Perkins